


Why the Pinkie is the Most Useless Finger and Other Atrocities

by mez0_vision



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
Genre: Background Relationships, Hope's Peak Academy (Dangan Ronpa), M/M, Naegami, One Shot, Pre-Killing School Life (Dangan Ronpa), Red String of Fate, Soulmate AU, Togami Byakuya is Bad at Feelings, before killing game, byakuya is the batman to aloysius' alfred, i deleted half my tags ugh, ishimondo is mentioned, kirihina is mentioned, this was supposed to be leogami but writing togami is difficult, togami tries to cut off his finger, vague ending??
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-19
Updated: 2021-03-19
Packaged: 2021-03-27 11:46:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,243
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30122265
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mez0_vision/pseuds/mez0_vision
Summary: Everyone is tied to someone, a small loop around their finger connecting them to someone for eternity, that only each other can see. Supposedly, this small string is supposed to bring the greatest joy to someone's life, but it's more of a nuisance than a blessing. For all his life, Togami has tried to disconnect the string, knowing it will only lead to problems for the future he was chosen to lead. His romantic endeavors are sealed in tradition, and being weighed down by a soulmate will not help him elevate the Togami corporation's status. Especially if that someone he is supposed to fall for is just a nobody, with no remarkable or exceptional qualities except for the fact that Togami can see his reflection in his eyes. Naegi is just lucky Togami has let him live this long, not finding the time to sever their string and his throat yet.
Relationships: Naegami - Relationship, Naegi Makoto/Togami Byakuya
Comments: 2
Kudos: 27





	Why the Pinkie is the Most Useless Finger and Other Atrocities

**Author's Note:**

> (quick warning that there will be mentions of Togami's father hitting him, but they are very brief)  
> this AU is kind of the basic red string of fate soulmate au, where on one end it is tied to the pinkie, and on the other person it is tied to the index. only soulmates can see each other's strings, and they appear on their 13th birthday.  
> Hi! This is my first time writing a oneshot type of thing, so I hope it was okay, this was just a smaller thing for me to work on as a break from writing my longer dr fanfic. I really like slow burn kind of stuff but I didn't want this to be too long, so sorry if the ending isn't very good or isn't very satisfying. I think Togami is a very interesting character, so I tried to go into detail about what he would think of this kind of soulmate thing. Sadly, he is also a very difficult character for me to write, so I really tried hard to convey his character semi-accurately. Hope you enjoy!

“Do you have one of those strings, Byakuya?” 

His father’s voice was always booming, always orderly, always loud. Never babying, especially towards his youngest son. And it was always brief intermissions from business that he would address him by name. This was the first he’d heard from the man today, the 13th birthday of the Togami heir, that was hastily slipping away. There was only one right answer to the question, one answer that wouldn’t award him a harsh bruise on the cheek. “No,” The simple syllable is quick off his lips. 

“Good,” 

Then he’s gone, and Togami is back alone, isolated in his room, that everyday was turning more cluttered and ugly. Soon he would be reprimanded for letting it become so messy. Everyday he receives more papers, more work, more responsibilities, and he hadn’t been handling it so well. The added stress of the despicable band around his pinkie wasn’t helping at all. He had woken up this morning to see it magically there, looping out of the mansion, and out into the world, where somewhere at the other end there will be a person, the person who will surely end his confidence and success. 

The absence of his mother never lingered around in his mind, he had been instilled with the knowledge of the Togami ritual to produce an heir, and whoever his mother was, it didn’t matter. All he knew was that she was wealthy, powerful, and beautiful, enough to entertain his short-tempered father. And when he is grown, he will have to cast aside any true affections he may have for someone and indulge in the tradition of getting multiple women of status pregnant so that he will have an heir to succeed him. True love would never matter to him, that distraction would be of no benefit to rising the Togami Corporation’s status and wealth. Soulmates were for commoners who had no true aspirations and would leave no impact on the world. And that was exactly what he wasn’t.

Most days Byakuya would ignore the loop that cursed him, until his work was interrupted by an insistent tug on his pinkie, a reminder of his fate of failure, at least in that regard. Nothing else he did was shameful, but the red line glued to his skin, visible only to himself and whoever the idiot was at the other end, would inevitably be the end of him. Sometimes, his butler would find him, snipping at the air, stomping at nothing, lighting a match dangerously close to his skin, and would chuckle to himself. The poised child would lose his cool seemingly at nothing, but the butler knew of the secret Togami was trying to dispose of. The thought of such a boy having a cord of fate leading to someone who would tolerate him, and beyond that, fall in love with him, was laughable, but it was real, and the butler hated to see the disgust on Togami’s face at something that should only bring hope to his stressful life. 

“Do we have any sharper scissors?” the heir’s voice is clipped, and Aloysius was quick to straighten himself. 

“I’m afraid those are the sharpest pair we have, Young Master.”

Togami’s eyes flicker away from his hand to the aging man, squinting in slight scrutiny. “Then have someone fetch the sharpest pair in the world, these aren’t enough.” 

“You said the same thing yesterday, and with all respect, the ones you are holding are the sharpest.” 

“Clearly that’s wrong,” Togami’s glare moves to the floor, then to the air near his pinkie. “I don’t know what else to do about this. Perhaps I could sever it off?” 

Aloysius’s narrow eyes widen a fraction, the lines in his face deepening. He was well aware that the heir is not much one to joke about things, so the suggestion severely catches him off guard. “Pardon?”

“You heard me. What does this last finger do anyway? There’s no use for it.” Carefully, he brings the blades of the scissors around his thin finger, tilting his head to the side to get different angles of the sight before closing them down an inch, but he doesn’t yet prick his skin. “I suppose they are required for typing,” Pausing for just a moment, he pulls them back closed, crimson blood rising where the blades have pierced his pale skin. Without even flinching, he closes them tighter. If this is what is required in order to be free of this fate, then it will have to do. 

His butler shuffles forward, his usually grumpy side melting into concern for the teen. “Young master, I advise against acting so drastically-”

“Be quiet!” Byakuya snaps, not looking away from where he is attempting to get rid of his pinkie. “Besides, what good does the pinkie do? It assists on a keyboard, but that is all. I’ve been through worse.” 

In the end, the scissors can’t really sever a finger, and Togami is smart enough to have known that from the beginning. Maybe it was desperation, maybe it was resistance, but whatever it was, it still left a dark scar at the base of the small finger on his left hand, that further reminded him of his defeat.

Dark ink flows from his pen, illuminated by the bright desk lamp and the light reflecting from the moon that pours in through the window. Going off course, a sudden tug at his finger ruins the fluid sentence he had been recording on the sheet. Byakuya sets the pen to the side, taking the lined paper that is marred by the abrupt line and crumples it up, until it is a small, controllable ball in his palm. Tightly, he squeezes it, tighter still until the creases he’s created begin to sting at his skin. The tug drawing his pinkie away continues, a sure sign that whoever is at the other end is playing with it, uncaring of the disruption it would cause Togami. Whatever, even if they are trying to lead him to them, it’s just a dumb string with a dumb meaning. 

The red glare of the clock at the corner of the desk reads 2 AM, causing him to wonder if his “soulmate” is supposed to be in another time zone, it isn’t impossible. The Togami Corporation spreads worldwide, so stumbling upon someone living hours ahead or behind isn’t out of the question, but the concept of being connected to that person is still beyond logic. Yet he still has some innate gut feeling that whatever this is is just a nightly routine to the other person, a series of tugs and pulls at the string the usual when Togami was working late into the night. How irritating. There’s no way Byakuya would ever be able to feel any sort of affection or infatuation with such an incompetent being. 

The first day of his attendance at Hope's Peak surely would be a notable one, another one for his future biographer to record. The way his gait was confident, strong, imposing. The way his uniform was crisp and clean, his hair perfectly styled. The way his glasses were free of any smudge or mark, perfectly set straight upon his nose. Yes, this will be the most notable day, where he will meet the most underwhelming of classmates, each nothing compared to his all around perfection. As he continues his stride, the large building standing overhead, everything is perfect. Except for the string around his pinkie being pulled taut, tight, the pressure at his circulation worse than he’s ever felt before. Rolling his eyes at the fate he’s been cursed with, he continues his approach, passing through the main hall to a soft pink hallway, where he sees a flash of red hair ahead of him, before it disappears around a corner. He follows the poster signs telling him where to go for orientation, seeing a bright red haired boy in front of him, and a blue haired girl walking faster ahead. Eventually he makes it inside to a room of crowded students, and takes a place at the back of the room, perking up a foot and leaning against the wall. Ignoring the string on his finger isn’t as easy as usual, he remarks to himself, his eyes flickering around the room at the loose hands of the other students, wondering if maybe, the bane of his existence is also present in the room.

It appears not. Oh well, the person at the other end is probably just being worse than usual, a feat he had assumed impossible. 

“This is the right room, right?” A small, light voice murmurs next to him, and he sees a shorter, bushy haired boy wandering next to him, a hand to his chin as he looks around. The only remarkable thing about the boy is the spike of hair at the top of his head, his utter average appearance compared to the others in the room, and the red cord twisting between his two fingers. The boy's eyes flicker around, spotting Togami, who flushes and has shoved his hand into his pocket, forcing his gaze away from the painfully normal person in the room of ultimates. “Hey, uh, is this the right place for orientation?”

The heir almost tells him no. “Where else would it be?”

The boy's eyes widen a bit at the cold response, and his fingers continue to fiddle with the string, and Togami can feel the pull, making the entire situation worse. “Oh, sorry, I didn’t mean to bother-“

“Then stop wasting my time,” Togami sighs, using his free hand to fix the Green Hills pin on his blazer, noting the ridiculousness of the other boys outfit, nothing like the professional, expensive suit Togami has hand tailored to his every measurement. 

Ashamed, the boy shuffles away, looking down to the string in his hands and walking away, but then he stops in his tracks. As his head starts to follow the line of the string back to Togami, he pushes away from the wall and hurries away into the bustling crowd, swerving around people and making his way through the gathering, people automatically parting for him because of his presence. Once he’s figured he’s immersed himself enough within the group, he exhales slowly, relieved. Out of all the people in the world that he could possibly be tied to, that boy was the one? It has to be a mistake. How could the world have done this to such a portrait of perfection? At least he could be bound to someone notable, someone worth something, not a boy who barely has the chance to get mentioned within the footnotes of someone else's story. And that story would surely not be his. It’s already enough of an effort to be prancing around this academy for a past time, but having to encounter such a worthless person and seeing a string tied around their index was a sight he would need to bleach from his eyes. This is absolutely unacceptable. After all the work he’s done, all the obstacles he has faced, he gets stuck tied to some nobody who wears a blazer over a sweatshirt? Togami will have to have a word with whatever god there is out playing with the strings of his fate, for cursing him so awfully. It was like a cruel joke, tying him to someone like that. Whatever, it’s not like the boy had looked in time to confirm Togami had the other end of the loop. Whatever. He’ll just have to brush it out of his mind as the orientation starts. Behind him, the crowd parts, two pale hands squeezing through, a red string caught between them, and Togami speeds away, wishing only to get away from this nightmare, to wake from this awful prank. The boy must be following the red string, and Togami was so lost in cursing the gods above to notice the pull drawing them to each other. Well, now he’ll be conscious of it. 

Eventually, he becomes lost enough in the crowd as a speaker emerges, and he is allowed a moment of relief, he can put off the worry tugging at his heart and his hand. But as he moves to join class 78-A, he sees the boy also walking over as his name is called, and he’s handed a small tote with his name embroidered on the side. Naegi Makoto, huh?

The rest of the day is as insufferable as expected, the “Ultimate” Lucky Student attempting more than once to get closer to Togami, to ask him if he can see the string between them. Everytime, Togami just looks ahead and pushes Makoto’s voice from his head, braving through the leech hoping to latch at his side. 

“Byakuya Togami, is it? Well, that’s cool,” The comments, awkward and stilted, fail to make Togami feel anything but loathing. This isn’t what the world has described the feeling of meeting a soulmate to be like. Not that he wanted to feel the kind of click always portrayed and movies and books and worthless stories. 

When they are each escorted to their dorms to unpack their things for the night, the tour of the new school building and the campus over, Togami makes sure to lock the door. It doesn’t stop the doorknob from jangling and his doorbell from ringing. Figuring that it is the persistent boy, he ignores it, opening his closet to put away his new set of school uniforms. Still, his bell is rung, until he hears a soft voice from the other side. 

“Togami? Why won’t you talk to me? I just wanna...I know that you’re...y’know.”

Briskly, Byakuya walks to the door and swings it open, the lucky student falling forward from where his ear was pressed to the wood and crashing into his chest. The heir sets Naegi back upright, trying not to prolong the contact. “Do you really desire my attention so much?”

Naegi’s brow creases downwards. “Huh?”

“All day you have been like a puppy at my heel, trying to talk to me. Stop it.” 

“But aren’t we supposed to talk to each other?”

“Not if I don’t want to. A conversation goes two ways, so whatever you’re doing is futile.”

“We’re talking now,” he points out, raising his index, conveniently bringing Togami’s eyes down from his to the string hanging between them. The door snaps back closed. The rest of the night isn’t peaceful, Naegi must be gathering the string in his hands, because all night Togami’s arm is nudged to the edge of his bed. A vicious hate for the pull festers. This is even worse than he could have ever imagined. 

The next day is as bad as the last. Makoto stares at him while they are seated in class, while they are seated at lunch, whenever they go anywhere. And to make it endlessly worse, he is constantly playing with the string in his hand, almost unconsciously, and Togami often has to pull his hand back to the rest of his body. A couple others in the class seem to have already found who their string is connected to. The purple haired girl, Kirigiri, and the brown haired one, Hina, sit next to each other all day, Hina grinning and enthusing about anything on her mind, while the other girl just smiles sweetly at her. Their hands are always caught in each other's. It’s grossly perfect, the ideal portrait of soulmates connecting once they finally meet. Two of the boys in the class take more of an aggressive approach, bickering with each other and constantly questioning why they are strung together. Taka, the headstrong class leader, and Mondo, the obnoxious rebel. It’s cliche, and sickens the heir as he is subjected to their rivalry, the tension between them only escalating. At lunch, Leon, the red head Togami had spotted on the first day, is trying to talk up a multitude of different people, not seeming to have found a specific subject for his flirtatious greetings and jokes. Still, he seems to be enjoying the aspect of romance now being brought to light as people blush and grin at each other. Makoto will have to wallow in his isolation, because there is no way in hell that the heir will be caught acting like a lover. 

Weeks pass, and Togami hasn’t budged, Makoto has yet to put a dent in his resolve. Some days, as Togami tries to look out the window, his eyes will flicker to the brown haired boy trying to get his attention by tugging on the string, and the lucky student will offer a small wave, but it just makes him scoff. He hasn’t caught on yet, somehow, to the fact that Togami desires to have nothing to do with him, and his wide eyes that always get bigger when Togami spares him a look, the lip that curls when Togami dismisses him at the end of the day when Makoto attempts to stop him in the hallway. It’s all so peculiar, the way Makoto still wants to get something out of Byakuya. Companionship would just be...bland, a waste of time, so perhaps Makoto is hoping to receive a sum? Togami looks at the boy, who is focused on the chalkboard at the front wall, eyes darting back and forth between the words on the wall and his messy notes. The heir’s own notebook is blank, he doesn’t need to learn anything more about math, but he attends anyway because he isn’t about to waste his time away in a small, cramped dorm by himself. Well, he can’t just walk out of the class without being scolded by Taka, so he’ll just have to settle further in his chair as he studies the person he’s supposed to fall for. Average, useless, worthless. Makoto catches his stare, and smiles a little, but Togami just furrows his brow, disapproving. 

The end of another day comes, everyone has gathered to look out as Class 77 all gathers in the green for a fun class activity. They’ve started discussing soulmates, since Leon had remarked about finding the red haired one pretty, the kind of girl he’d want to treat to ice cream. 

“What happened to your soulmate man!” Mondo punches him jokingly on the shoulder, but Leon just shifts uncomfortably in his chair. “You’ve been dating around for a while, strikes me a lil odd that someone like you who is the romantic type isn’t waiting for their soulmate to come around,” The biker’s other hand is smoothing over Taka’s jacket kindly, the differences between the two set to the side as they finally decided to start going out together. Since then, Mondo had always been the one to initiate the PDA between the two. The familiar weight of Makoto’s glance rests on Togami’s face, as if wondering if today was the day the heir would succumb to their fate of admitting the liking they have for each other. 

“I would wait if I had one. But I don’t, so I don’t have to worry. Besides, there’s nothing wrong with dating outside of your soulmate. If you like someone, you like someone,” Leon explains, staring hard down at his desk. 

“You ain’t gotta soulmate? But that’s like, impossible!”

“Yeah, what my bro said! I wouldn’t be able to live without my soulmate, I don’t think anyone can once they’ve met the one! So how do you-“ Taka looks bewildered, but is cut off by Leon. 

“I just don’t, it’s hard to believe the rest of you do, and it’s not some elaborate joke the worlds pulling on me,” Leon laughs dryly, eyes flickering from the window to each of the students in the room’s hands, as if checking once more to see if they have strings. “Guess I must be cursed, or something,”

“I’m cursed as well, but in a different way than you are,” Togami says, and Leon cocks his head to the side, and Makoto’s gaze hardens. 

“Huh?”

“The person I’m tied to is an incompetent moron. I’d be better off having no string like you do. Perhaps we could switch.”

Leon frowns. “If I had one of those, I wouldn’t ever take it for granted. I’d cherish the other person to death. Maybe we should, since you don’t appreciate it.”

“I’d be more than happy too. Tell me when you learn how to.” Togami nods, and Mondo looks at him harshly.

“So you’ve met the one, but still hate ‘em!?”

“You’re not so different, you and Taka couldn’t stop your feuding for about a month.”

Taka frowns and shakes his head at the heir, who is looking down his nose at him. “But we never went to the extreme of wanting to get rid of the string! These are precious things gifted to us by the gods, you know!”

“That’s hard to believe, when the fate I’ve been given is so repulsive.” He cocks his head out to Leon. “If there is a way to switch, the offer still stands,” Makoto’s eyes still burn into his back as he leaves the classroom, the unsettling feeling of it crawling underneath the heir’s skin. 

The hallways are always full of people between periods, and with Makoto trailing near him at all times, it’s impossible to avoid his touch, and to avoid making sure he isn’t too badly hit or bumped by excitable teenagers who don’t look where they are going. Togami’s watchful eye always follows the lucky student, even if that includes having to watch as Makoto laughs and smiles with the friends he’s made in the class. The soft giggles he shares with Fujisaki, the bold hand movements he makes while telling stories to Sayaka, the pensive, attentive gaze he always uses when listening to Kirigiri, who more often than not has Hina latched onto her side. A small pain always wrenches at the pit in his chest, but he always brushes it off, noting that it always hurts to look at the unremarkable boy and his unremarkable mouth that moves with such ease as he talks. Slowing down, he makes it to Makoto’s side, the smaller boy too busy trying not to become suffocated by the people in the hallway to notice as their hands brush, a electric feeling coursing from Togami’s pinkie to his head, fuzzing away his thoughts of disdain. Class 77, as always loud, carefree, comes tumbling down in a crowd, unafraid to knock down the people in their way, even one of their own, the chef one, being rumbled over by their steps. And as they make headway for the pairing, Togami’s pinkie itches and connects to Makoto’s, tugging him away and saving him from being trampled. 

Looking up to see who is his savior, Makoto’s eyes widen when they find a slightly distressed Byakuya averting his eyes. “Byakuya? But I thought you-”

“Put it out of your mind.” Brushing it away, Togami cuts off the nearly satisfying contact between them, pushing through the crowd and hurrying to his class. But still, the feeling of Makoto’s soft skin against his slightly calloused hand was somehow still sticking to his mind, the warmth that had temporarily taken over his cold body a welcome experience. Throughout the day, he can’t stop thinking about it, the impact the touch had on him. It’s embarrassing to admit to himself, the touch of such an otherwise dull boy being so...electrifying, whirring at the gears in his rotten pit of a heart, that he had believed had lost all feeling and capability for warmth. Multiple times, their eyes would find each other, some kind of rush heating to Byakuya’s thin cheeks as he drew his gaze away. 

“Togami?” The utterance of his name startles him in his seat, and he glances over at a patient Kirigiri, her gloved fingers touching at the base of her index, as if playing with the loop wrapped around it. It’s a mindless gesture. “You there?”

He clears his throat. “Huh? Yeah, what is it?”

“You were dozing off almost...you never get lost in thought. Is something wrong?” She asks, gaze fixed on his face like he’s a puzzle she’s trying to solve. Seems about right, she is the Ultimate Detective and all. Despite his attempt to keep his steely mask in place, he looks over at the empty desk in the room. “You should go see him.”

“Huh?” The heir’s voice turns hard, annoyance rising in the back of his throat at how easily she’s read him. 

“Naegi. An unexpected act of kindness is just about what he needs right now. Make sure to bring cough syrup.”

“Cough syrup?” he repeats, dumbly, and Kirigiri leans back to her seat. The rest of the period keeps him on the edge of his seat, but the time the bell finishes ringing he’s out the door, pace hastening as he rushes down the stairs, out the building, down the paths winding around the campus, towards the looming dorm building. Fumbling for his room key, he gets his own door opening, retrieving the cough syrup from his bathroom, picking it out amongst the many medicines Aloysius had made sure to send him off with. Blueberry flavor, he keeps it clutched in his hand as he rushes to the next room over. It’s scary how close they’ve been to each other every night, just a wall away. A couple rings from the doorway summons Makoto, who wearily peers out, the usual surprise widening his eyes when they land on the heir who is trying to push out words. 

The clearly sick student's mouth forms a firm line. “What are you doing here?” The nasally tone to the voice, indicating a stuffy nose, and the groggy irritability in it makes Togami wince, but he holds up the box in his hand, hoping it’s enough of an explanation. “Oh,” the door opens enough for Togami to slip in, and Makoto slumps back over to his bed. He appears to still be in his pajamas, flannel bottoms poking out from a large green hoodie. 

“Here, I’ll get this ready for you,” Shaky hands rip open the packaging, making it more difficult to read the instructions of the dosage, but eventually he is holding it to Makoto’s chapped lips, only after having to hear his coughs scrape against his throat. One of Togami’s thin hands perks up his chin, calloused pads beneath his jaw, the other steadily tilting back the small plastic cup. Makoto drinks it down, pushing away his hand once he’s done and wiping at his mouth, at the drops of the syrup resting in the corners of his mouth. His usually pink lips have been drained of color, and are stained a blue from the syrup already. “That better?”

“I guess...but why?” 

Togami looks to the side, moving away to busy himself with the cough syrup. “I didn’t want you to wallow in your own suffering. That’s all.”

“I might get you sick.”

“You already do just with your presence.” He laughs, trying to make some kind of joke, and despite how it isn’t very funny, it rouses a rough laugh from Makoto. “Now, get better. I’ll leave.”

“That’s strangely...nice. Thank you.” He gives him a soft smile, hair brushing over his brows, and Togami flushes when he catches the sight of it. 

“Goodbye,” is all he can muster before leaving. The nice act is a little grating on the inside, the uncertainty towards his reason for it making his face scrunch in pain. Maybe everything doesn’t need a reason. The fates already were illogical tying them together, so maybe a single irrational incident from him is allowed. 

The rest of Makoto’s recovery carries along smoothly, and the tugs on Byakuya’s pinkie become less frequent, which almost makes the heir frown. They still aren’t friends, barely acquaintances, and the encounter still makes Togami embarrassed, confused. He can’t help but think of Leon’s words, about cherishing a soulmate, because some people don’t even have them. Togami had never enjoyed the concept of having one, but the words make him think a little harder. A future of loneliness, consumed by work for the Togami Corporation, or a future spent being successful with a supportive, lovely companion at his side? And he’ll just have to figure out the process of getting an heir when the time comes, which won’t be for a long while...

A week later, Togami catches Makoto by the shoulder, telling him to meet him by the back of the school. It almost sounds like a girl's invitation for a confession. No. This isn’t anything like that. He just has to explain his feelings to Makoto, as he makes sense of them himself. Isn’t that what a soulmate was for? To help each other through the rough times and to brighten up each other’s day? Or something like that...the concept was still rather foreign. But the sound of it still almost fits the description of Togami’s desires towards him. He had the strong urge to help him in a time of trouble, and the longing stares he had started to cast in his direction were anything less than obvious that he was starting to want to get to know Makoto. That’s all. 

The wind whips at Byakuya’s hair, messing it up from where it was perfectly parted, and he has to push his glasses up. After a brief period of waiting, Makoto arrives, querying what this is all for. 

“I have something to tell you.”

“I figured that,” he purses his lips. “So…”

“I have to…” his teeth grit. “Apologize, for my harsh treatment. It is something I now regret, because I…I want to disregard our past of hostility.”

“I think it was just you who was hostile,” Makoto chuckles nervously, his hand raising like it always does to tap at his chin in an awkward tell. 

“Okay, and I want to move past that. Maybe there is something that makes sense about,” he raises the finger with the red string around it, and Makoto sees the scar, a small gasp escaping his mouth. “This. For whatever reason, I’ve found you more...interesting than I previously had suspected you were. I would like to make amends for my rudeness, so we can maybe be...friends,”

“Friends?”

He isn’t satisfied enough with that as soon as Makoto says it. The inexplicable draw he had been ignoring makes him lean closer. “Or whatever happens between us,”

“I see,” Makoto nods, his lip curling into a smile, and it makes Togami slightly relieved. The humiliation of the moment is worth it now. “I accept your apology. We can be friends, or whatever.”

Togami’s expression mimics the other boy’s, an unfamiliar giddiness causing his mouth to quirk upward. “Now, that’s all I really wanted to say. Maybe we can...spend some time together in the library later. I’ll be in contact.”

“Yup, bye,” 

Hurrying away, he can’t help but cast one last glance at Makoto, which makes his heart skip slightly. Something had finally started to click and seem right after being filled with unease whenever treating Makoto harshly. The wait for this feeling, it was worth the rush it gave him. This time, he was the one to tug at the string. It wasn’t an unwelcome feeling when it was tugged back.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Again, I apologize if the ending was underwhelming, I just really like the idea of Togami becoming more comfortable with the idea of forming a relationship with Makoto! Lots of love <3


End file.
